The present invention encompasses the discovery that the likelihood of a favorable response to cancer immunotherapy for a wide range of different cancers can be predicted through definition of a tumor mutational load threshold for the tumor (and/or the relevant immunotherapy).

The present invention relates to peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and cells for use in immunotherapeutic methods. In particular, the present invention relates to the immunotherapy of cancer. The present invention furthermore relates to tumor-associated T-cell peptide epitopes, alone or in combination with other tumor-associated peptides that can for example serve as active pharmaceutical ingredients of vaccine compositions that stimulate anti-tumor immune responses, or to stimulate T cells ex vivo and transfer into patients. Peptides bound to molecules of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), or peptides as such, can also be targets of antibodies, soluble T-cell receptors, and other binding molecules.

An anti-neoplastic combined pharmaceutical composition and application thereof. The combined pharmaceutical composition is prepared from plasmodia and chemotherapeutic drugs. The combined pharmaceutical composition combines chemotherapy with Plasmodium immunotherapy, has high biosafety, has stronger antineoplastic activity than single chemotherapy or single Plasmodium immunotherapy, can prolong the lifetime of cancer patients, and provides a new strategy and idea for cancer treatment. Moreover, the dosage of the chemotherapy drugs can be reduced, toxic and side effects caused by the chemotherapy drugs are reduced, and treatment costs of tumor patients are reduced. In addition, the combined pharmaceutical composition can promote release of a tumor antigen, induces a stronger anti-tumor specific immune response, and exerts the continuous synergistic effect of immunotherapy and chemotherapy.

Methods and compositions for identifying tumor antigens of human lymphocytes, and for identifying subjects for cancer therapy, are provided herein. In some embodiments, the method comprises administering to the subject an immunogenic composition comprising one or more selected stimulatory antigens (e.g., one or more stimulatory antigens described herein) or immunogenic fragments thereof, wherein the immunogenic composition is administered according to a dosing regimen comprising an initial dose of the immunogenic composition and additional doses of the immunogenic composition, wherein after an initial dose is administered, an additional dose is administered 3 weeks following the initial dose, an additional dose is administered 6 weeks following the initial dose, an additional dose is administered 12 weeks following the initial dose, and an additional dose is administered 24 weeks following the initial dose.

Disclosed are compositions and methods for engineered Notch ligands for activating Notch signaling, enhancing eh efficacy of adoptive T cell immunotherapy, making a T cell resistant to tumor suppression, and/or treating a cancer. In one aspect, disclosed herein are methods of activating Notch signaling comprising contacting T cells (such as, for example CD8+ T cells, CD4+ T cells, chimeric antigen receptor 15 (CAR) T cells, tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and/or marrow infiltrating lymphocytes (MILS)) with a chemically designed Notch ligand.

The present disclosure provides an allogeneic whole cell cancer vaccine platform that includes compositions and methods for treating and preventing cancer. Provided herein are compositions containing a therapeutically effective amount of cells from one or more cancer cell lines, some or all of which are modified to (i) inhibit or reduce expression of one or more immunosuppressive factors by the cells, and/or (ii) express or increase expression of one or more immunostimulatory factors by the cells, and/or (iii) express or increase expression of one or more tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including TAAs that have been mutated, and which comprise cancer cell lines that natively express a heterogeneity of tumor associated antigens and/or neoantigens, and/or (iv) express one or more tumor fitness advantage mutations, including but not limited to acquired tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance mutations, EGFR activating mutations, and/or (v) express modified ALK intracellular domain(s), and/or express one or more driver mutations. Also provided herein are methods of making and preparing the vaccine compositions and methods of use thereof.

The present disclosure provides an allogeneic whole cell cancer vaccine platform that includes compositions and methods for treating and preventing colorectal cancer. Provided herein are compositions containing a therapeutically effective amount of cells from one or more cancer cell lines, some or all of which are modified to (i) inhibit or reduce expression of one or more immunosuppressive factors by the cells, and/or (ii) express or increase expression of one or more immunostimulatory factors by the cells, and/or (iii) express or increase expression of one or more tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including TAAs that have been mutated, and which comprise cancer cell lines that natively express a heterogeneity of tumor associated antigens and/or neoantigens, and/or (iv) express one or more tumor fitness advantage mutations, including but not limited to driver mutations. Also provided herein are methods of making and preparing the colorectal cancer vaccine compositions and methods of use thereof.

The present invention relates to an active (immunostimulatory) composition comprising at least one RNA, preferably a mRNA, encoding at least two (preferably different) antigens capable of eliciting an (adaptive) immune response in a mammal. The invention furthermore relates to a vaccine comprising said active (immunostimulatory) composition, and to the use of said active (immunostimulatory) composition (for the preparation of a vaccine) and/or of the vaccine for eliciting an (adaptive) immune response for the treatment of lung cancer, particularly of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), preferably selected from the three main sub-types squamous cell lung carcinoma, adenocarcinoma and large cell lung carcinoma, or of disorders related thereto. Finally, the invention relates to kits, particularly to kits of parts, containing the active (immunostimulatory) composition and/or the vaccine.

Disclosed herein are CAR-T cells with enhanced tumor infiltration. As disclosed herein, infiltrating lymphocytes (T and NK) within tumor tissue are absent of CX3CR1, a key chemokine receptor specific for lymphocytes. Therefore, disclosed herein are CAR-T cells that co-express CX3CR1 to enhance the infiltration of CAR-T cells into the tumor tissue. Also disclosed herein are CAR-T cells that co-express IL-15 in order to activate infiltration of NK cell. In some embodiments, the disclosed CAR-T cells express both CX3CR1 and IL-15 in combination with the CAR polypeptide. In some embodiments, the disclosed CAR-T cells further express EGFR in combination with the CAR polypeptide.

Pharmaceutical composition comprising antibodies or antigen binding fragments thereof that bind to stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA-4) are disclosed herein, as well as methods of use thereof. Methods of use include, without limitation, cancer therapies and diagnostics. The antibodies of the disclosure can bind to certain cancer cell surfaces. Exemplary targets of the antibodies disclosed herein can include carcinomas, such as breast cancer, lung cancer, esophageal cancer, rectal cancer, biliary cancer, liver cancer, buccal cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, ovarian cancer, cervical cancer, endometrial cancer, pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer, bladder cancer, head and neck cancer, oral cancer, neuroendocrine cancer, adrenal cancer, thyroid cancer, bone cancer, skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma, and/or brain tumor.